# 1968 Grantland Rice Bowl

The 1968 Grantland Rice Bowl was an NCAA College Division game following the 1968 season, between the Akron Zips and the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs. This was the last time that the Grantland Rice Bowl was played in Murfreesboro, Tennessee.

## Notable participants

Louisiana Tech quarterback Terry Bradshaw was selected first in the 1970 NFL draft by the Pittsburgh Steelers. His teammates Larry Brewer and Tommy Spinks were also drafted. Bradshaw and Spinks are inductees of their university's athletic hall of fame, as is head coach Maxie Lambright. Bradshaw is an inductee of both the College Football Hall of Fame and the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
The Akron squad has been designated a Team of Distinction by their university's sports hall of fame; head coach Gordon K. Larson was inducted to the hall in 1975, running back John "Jack" Beidleman was inducted in 1980, and quarterback Don Zwisler was inducted in 1981.

## Scoring summary

Scoring summary :
| Quarter | Time | Drive | Drive | Drive | Team | Scoring information | Score | Score |
| Quarter | Time | Plays | Yards | TOP | Team | Scoring information | Akron | La. Tech |
| 1 | 8:00 | 4 | 41 | | La. Tech | Terry Bradshaw 16-yard touchdown run, Richie Golmon kick good | 0 | 7 |
| 1 | 3:23 | 6 | 67 | | La. Tech | Tommy Spinks 36-yard touchdown reception from Terry Bradshaw, Richie Golmon kick good | 0 | 14 |
| 1 | 1:17 | | 10 | | La. Tech | Buster Herren 2-yard touchdown run, Richie Golmon kick good | 0 | 21 |
| 2 | 1:50 | 4 | 8 | | Akron | John Vargo 1-yard touchdown run, John Harrison kick good | 7 | 21 |
| 3 | 5:38 | 19 | 80 | 9:30 | Akron | John Beidleman 13-yard touchdown run, John Harrison kick no good (blocked) | 13 | 21 |
| 4 | | 10 | 62 | | La. Tech | Larry Brewer 6-yard touchdown reception from Terry Bradshaw, Richie Golmon kick no good | 13 | 27 |
| 4 | 9:45 | 5 | 46 | | La. Tech | Terry Bradshaw 8-yard touchdown run, 2-point pass failed | 13 | 33 |
| "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | 13 | 33 |

### Statistics

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Zips | 0 | 7 | 6 | 0 | 13 |
| Bulldogs | 21 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 33 |
| Statistics | Akron | La. Tech |
| First Downs | 14 | 21 |
| Total offense, yards | 196 | 347 |
| Rushes-yards (net) | 54–118 | 36–86 |
| Passing yards (net) | 78 | 261 |
| Passes, Comp-Att-Int | 6–21–3 | 19–33–2 |
| Time of Possession | | |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Akron | Passing | Don Zwisler | |
| Akron | Rushing | Ron Lemon | 18 car, 75 yds |
| Akron | Receiving | Dan Ruff | 4 rec, 56 yds |
| La. Tech | Passing | Terry Bradshaw | 19/33, 261 yds, 2 TD, 2 INT |
| La. Tech | Rushing | Terry Bradshaw | 12 car, 35 yds, 2 TD |
| La. Tech | Receiving | Tommy Spinks | 12 rec, 167 yds, 1 TD |